Grilled Brats with Beer Braised Onions and "Moneyball"

What food is classically associated with baseball? A grilled hotdog and a nice cold beverage. Since this week I'm focusing of films about baseball it was easy to think of what we'd cook up this week. To mix things up a bit, I'm using beer brats for my recipe but feel free to use a classic hot dog instead of a brat. Brats are similar to a hot dog but contain different spices. You still serve them up the same way, on a bun with your favorite condiments. Top these grilled brats off with some shredded cheddar and beer braised onions with a side of french fries or onion rings and I think we have ourselves dinner. Of course we always have a movie to go with dinner and this week we have the reveal of my #1 baseball movie from Monday's post - the 2011 film "Moneyball."

For the Brats and Onions

1 Package of Beer or Stadium Brats
1 large onion
Kosher Salt and freshly cracked pepper (About ½ teaspoon of each)
1 teaspoon of sugar
¾ cup of Beer (Any regular beer you like to drink)
8 ounces of freshly grated cheddar
1 package of good quality buns

For a side of fries or onion rings, click below to go to those posts:
Onion Rings
Fresh cut French Fries

Start by peeling the onion and slicing the onion into thin slices. Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and add the onions to the butter. Cook the onions in the butter for 7-10 minutes, stirring them frequently. Add your salt, pepper, and sugar to the onions and mix.

Next add the beer to the onions and stir everything together to combine. What to do with the beer you don't add to the pan? Well if your of age I'll let you decide how to handle this but I think we both know the answer. Lower the heat slightly and allow the onions to cook for about 20 minutes until the onions are slightly browned and have absorbed some of the beer. Season to taste.

Once the onions and beer are simmering, fire up the grill. If you're using a gas grill, have your flame on medium heat. Charcoal grillers should evenly distribute their coals and wait until the charcoal has turned white before placing the brats over the heat. Place the brats on the grill, keeping them apart from each other if possible so the heat can surround them. If you're cooking fresh brats, cook the brats for about 17-20 minutes or until they've browned and are cooked through. If you're cooking with brats that have been smoked and precooked, cut the grilling time in half as all we have to do is heat them through. Remember to always turn your brats with tongs so that we don't pierce the skin.

Once the brats are cooked, it's time to assemble. I like the put the cheddar on the bun first and then place the brat over top the cheese - the heat from the brat will melt the cheddar. Add your desired condiments to the brat and top it off with some of our braised onions. Serve with your desired side dish and dinner is served. Since we won't be going out to the ball game tonight, lets bring it to our living rooms.

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on Monday's posts. There are so many great films about baseball, it's difficult to pick which one is our favorite. For me there was little competition once I saw the 2011 film "Moneyball." It's not only the best movie I've seen about baseball, it's one of the best movies I've ever seen in general.

Based on a true story, Brad Pitt plays the real life general manger of the Oakland A's - Bill Beane. After loosing to the star filled and super rich roster of the New York Yankees, Billy approaches his team owner to ask for more money so that he can sign and resign players so that they can compete with New York. The trouble is, there is no more money to be had and Billy sees most of his skilled players leave Oakland for other teams and bigger contracts. 

While meeting with another team and trying to discuss possible trade deals, Billy meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). Brand was an economics major from Yale and brings new insight on how teams should choose their players. Beane is automatically hooked on the idea and soon hires Peter to help him find quality players that his team can afford simply because other teams in the league under value them. Not everyone in the organization is sold on Billy's new concept including his scouts and his teams manager Arte Howe (Phillip Seymour-Hoffman). When the team begins to flounder and find themselves in last place in their division, Billy must find a way to rally his team together and get over his past and the lingering affects it has on him or he may soon find himself out of a job. A gripping drama, an underdog story, and an interesting look at what happens behind the scenes for a baseball team all rolled into one- "Moneyball" is a very solid film that I can watch over and over again.

Both Pitt and Hill were nominated for Academy awards for their performances, as well as the movie for Best Picture. The true beauty of "Moneyball" is that it's a film that can easily be enjoyed by anyone. Viewers who aren't even a fan of sports will find themselves getting lost in the story and pulling for the Oakland A's to shock the baseball world. Fan of the game or not, don't let "Moneyball" be a film you miss viewing. Watch the trailer first, then go out and see this film anyway that you can!